


Damaged

by nursal1060



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Green Lantern (Comics), Green Lantern - All Media Types, Justice League (2017), Justice League - All Media Types, The Flash (Comics), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Barry is the Flash, Beating, Best Friends, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Brain Damage, Brain Surgery, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Memories, Childish Barry, Childishness, Comfort/Angst, Coping, Developing Relationship, Drabble, Drunkenness, Emotional Hurt, Friends With Benefits, Friendship/Love, Hal Has Issues, Hal being Hal, Hal is the green lantern, Halbarry - Freeform, Head Injury, Heavy Angst, Hurt Barry, Hurt Hal, Injured Barry, Injury Recovery, Innocence, Innocent Barry, Kissing, M/M, Major Character Injury, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Memories, Memory Loss, Non-Graphic Violence, POV Hal, Past Relationship(s), Permanent Injury, Recovery, Sad Hal, Secret Crush, Secret Relationship, Serious Injuries, Stuffed Toys, Trauma, Traumatic Injury, Unfinished ending, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unresolved Emotional Tension, personalty change, slightly OOC, sweet and sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 02:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12738834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nursal1060/pseuds/nursal1060
Summary: After a battle with Bane, Barry suffers brain injury and his personality changes. Hal is conflicted and sad, feeling like he's lost his best friend...one that he loved more than a friend.





	Damaged

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen so many cute art pieces and fics about HalBarry, and after seeing a particularly sad piece of art, I decided to write a HalBarry fic.
> 
> I'll be honest, I haven't read any of the Green Lantern or Flash comics (I'm fairly new to DC if I'm honest, and I usually stick to Batfamily and Superman ones) but I really wanted to try after reading a few pages about how the two act. I hope this isn't TOO OOC...I hope.
> 
> Comments and kudos always make my day, I'll appreciate if you leave me some ;)

“Where is he?! Dammit! Let me see him!”

“Hal, calm down, he's-”

“Calm down?! Diana, Barry’s my best friend! He's been beaten in the head and I want to see him!”

“Hal, that is not the way you approach his-”

“Screw off, Diana. I want to know what happened-!”

Clark pushed him back from the medical door, saying firmly, “Calm down Hal. Bruce is trying to restore his memories. His brain damage was more severe than it looked. I don't think you want to see Bruce hooking Barry up to the machines.” Hal turned and walked away for a moment, rubbing his chestnut colored hair in frustration. 

If only he'd gotten there sooner. If only he'd gone with Barry to fight Bane, even if the speedster said that he could handle it. He remembered the scene he'd witnessed. Barry’s earpiece had been connected, so Hal heard his bone-chilling screams of pain and agony before the Justice League intercepted Bane. Hal and the others had rushed in, only to see Bane pinning and beating Barry in the head. Clark had quicky gotten Bane off and Hal was the first at Barry’s side after the attack. He had pulled Barry’s hood off only to be terrified.

The blood that was gushing and running down Barry’s head was immense. It stained his golden locks bright red. He wasn’t moving and wasn’t responsive to anyone. Bruce had said in their way back to the tower that Barry, without a doubt, suffered brain damage. His skull had to be damaged from the amount of blood that was coming from him. He been brought to the medical area and quarantined with Bruce and the medical staff.

Hal already knew that Barry might never recover. If he survived, he wouldn’t be the loveable nerd that Hal knew and adored. Hal knew but he refused to succumb to despair. He didn't want to lose his lantern powers along with his best friend, but it was so hard to remain willful and steadfast when his Barry could be dying in the room in front of him. He paced the room over and over, not interacting with the other Justice League members as they relayed information about Barry’s status.

Hal slept on the watchtower lobby couch for several days as Barry recovered, even if Bruce told him he could sleep easy because Barry would pull through. Hal felt closer to Barry when he slept near him. He wanted to be there when Barry woke up. He wanted to see his beautiful blue eyes again.

Hal and Barry had been secret lovers and best friends for several months before Bane beat Barry to a pulp. Being away from him this long broke Hal...and within a day of trying to be strong, his ring ceased to work. He had no will to get up, no will care for himself, no will to go on patrol. Hal slept on the couch for what felt like weeks, worrying Diana, Clark, John and Arthur. He didn’t shave, shower, or eat well while he began to wither away.

“Hal.” Hal looked up at Bruce as he woke from another extended nap.

He almost jumped up on the sofa, asking, “How is he? Please tell me that he’s okay.”

Bruce told him, “He’s awake...but he’s not the Barry you remember.” Hal’s face dropped, and he began thinking about the worst outcomes, from Barry being permanently scarred and disfigured to being a vegetable. “I think showing you will explain what I mean.” Hal shakily got on his feet, haing troule because he hadn’t really been walking for the last few days, and followed Bruce into the medical ward. 

Hal followed Bruce down the hall until he saw Barry from behind a glass wall. He was sitting on the bed in a white pair of pajamas, bandages still wrapped around his head and IV in his arm. He was holding and playing with large Batman and Superman build-a-bear plush dolls, looking much smaller than a man in his mid-twenties. Barry looked like a child acting like he was. Hal seemed confused, looking to Bruce who simply motioned to the door to let him in. Hal slowly opened the door and it caused his blue-eyed boyfriend to look up at him.

Barry smiled widely as he recognized him, “Hal! Hal!” He extended his arms out for a hug. Hal quickly went over to him and gave him a firm hug. Seeing Barry alive and well assuaged most of Hal’s fears. “O-Ouchie! Stop, Hal! That hurts Barry!”

Hal pulled back, a little confused, asking, “Barry, what did you say?”

Barry squeezed his large build-a-bear plush Batman, looking at him with a pouty frown, “No hard squeezing! Barry is small and Barry gets hurt if Hal squishes too hard!” Barry grabbed and put the build-a-bear Superman plush into Hal’s hands, “Play! Play with Barry!” Hal seemed stunned as he watched Barry genuinely play with his stuffed animal. He seemed to have regressed to...childhood.

Bruce joined them after a moment, holding the doctor’s clipboard, “It’s as bad as you’re thinking, Hal. The executive memory and personality governing parts of Barry’s brain have been extensively damaged. I managed to repair the rest of the damaged areas: his speech, motor control, his sensual awareness...but the part that makes Barry seem like an adult, that’s the tricky part.” Bruce look Hal in the eye, saying, “I have to try some more procedures, but there’s no guarantee that Barry as you knew will ever come back.”

“Hal?” Barry looked up at a blank faced Hal. Hal was frozen before he pushed the toy back into Bruce’s hands and ran out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hal?” Hal looked up from staring out the watchtower window at the stars with a drink in his hand. He’d lost track of how many drinks he’d guzzled after finding out that Barry was child-minded. Here Barry was, still holding one of his build-a-bear toys and wearing some of his casual clothes.

“Whaddayawant?” Hal was drunk, and his face was flushed. He’d been trying to avoid and hide from Barry all day, even if the blonde still had his superspeed and gone looking for him. The other League members had kept Barry occupied, Diana almost enjoying babying him too much. Eventually, Barry found him.

“Why don’t you like Barry?” Barry sat curled up in the chair across from Hal. Hal looked Barry over. He looked the same as he had every mission prior. Blonde, large blue eyes, slender nose, squishy cheeks, small hands, and ridiculous ability to make Hal blush.

Hal slurred his words all at once, “Idon’thateyouBarry.” He downed his glass of whiskey. 

Barry blinked a few times and said, “What happened to Barry...that Hal doesn’t like him.” Barry’s eyes swelled with tears, causing Hal to tipsily wander to him.

Hal said in almost unreadable language, “IloveyouandIwishyouwerelikeyouwerebefore” He leaned in to kiss Barry on the nose. It felt natural, even if Barry looked almost shocked that Hal was this close to him. “Ilovedyousomuchyouhavenoidea.” Hal kissed both of Barry’s cheeks and held Barry close, “Iwantyouback.”

Barry sniffled, “Hal, don’t cry. Barry still here.” 

Hal was crying now. Yes, Barry was in his arms and he was alive. But he wasn’t the Barry that he remembered and it just wasn’t the same. Barry, in Hal’s mind, was a goofy, sarcastic, over caring, and handsome man that he’d had flings with on occasion. He woke up at 3 in the morning to have Hal crash into his place for coffee and sleeping on the couch. He listened to Hal’s bitching about literally everything. He could make the best pasta and give him the best blowjobs. It hurt to think that Barry would never be himself again.

Barry kissed Hal this time, but on the lips, chastely, “Hal need naptime.”

Hal stood up more straight, nodding, “Yeah...canI...canIsleep...withBarry?” Barry’s eyes lit up and he nodded. He hopped off the chair and took hal’s hand, waking him back to the medical ward. Hal was drunk and sad, but...Barry, regardless of his mental age, still knew how to make him comfortable. 

Barry had Hal lie down before covering him in tons of toys, blankets, and pillows before jumping in with him. Barry wrestled and nuzzled him, kissing his face before falling asleep. Hal slowly wrapped his hands around Barry and held him close. He smelled the same, sounded the same, and felt the same. Hal fell asleep as well, holding Barry with tears drying on his lashes.


End file.
